Question #c963a
1 Answer
The smallest unit of a living organism.
Explanation:
All living things are made of cells. A one cell organism is still a living thing.
A virus does not have cells. It is a package of DNA or RNA that can use a living cell to reproduce but can not reproduce on its own. The question of does a virus constitute a living thing is unresolved
A cell can reproduce on its own. This means a cell must have a source of genetic information. The amount of information stored in even the simplest cell is immense. This information is used to produce the proteins that cell needs to function.
The cell must have a cell membrane that separates the cell from the environment. This membrane has special organelles that allow the cell to take in the materials that it needs to survive and remove the harmful waste products.
The cell must also have other special organelles that allow the cell to function such as the mitochondria that allows the cell to produce energy from sugar and oxygen. Both plant and animal cell contain mitochondria. Some bacterial cells and yeast do not have mitochondria and get their energy from the much less efficient formation.
In short the cell is an oasis of complex structure in the larger environment of increasing disorder.
